Astronomer gets doctorate

BANDUNG, West Java: An Indonesian national, Moedji Raharto, has received his doctorate in astronomy from Tokyo University, after employing new methods to research the structure of the galaxy, it was announced over the weekend.

The secretary of the astronomy department at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Hakim L. Malasan, announced at a press conference that Moedji Raharto, 42, defended his dissertation "Study on the Galactic Structure based on M-type Stars" before a team of Japanese astronomy professors.

Based on studies from the Infrared Astronomy Satellite and a survey of giant red stars -- observed by means of the Schmidt telescope at the Lembang-based Bosscha Observatory -- Moedji calculated the distance from the center of the galaxy to its easternmost point to be approximately 21,300 light years.

Moedji, the head of ITB's astronomy department, also gathered information on the spread of giant red stars, which number an estimated 38,000 in the center of the galaxy.

Sitting on the team of astronomy professors examining him were Prof. J. Nakada, Prof. S. Deguchi, Prof. Sasao Miyamoto and Prof. DR Sadanori Okamura, Antara reported.